Pneumatic separator.



PATENTED MAY 23,1905.

D. L. ADELSPERGER. PNEUMATIC SEPARATOR.

SAPPLIOATION rum) APR. 9, 1003.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES A TTORNEX No. 790,417. PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

1).. L. ADELSPERGER. PNEUMATIC SEPARATOR.

AIILIOA'JJION FILED APR. 9, 1903.

2 BHEETB8HEBT 2.

flowl.fldels er 0;;

INVENTO WITNESSES:

/ gym I v ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Patented May 23, 1905.

DOW ,ADELSPERGER, or sPRINGF'IELn, OHIO, AssIGNo'R TO THE FoosMANUFACTURING COMPANY, oF SPRINGFIELD, oI-IIo.

PNEUMATIC SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 790,417, dated May 23,1905.

l Application filed April 9, 1903. Serial No. 151,743.

To all whom/ lt may concern:

Be it known that 1, Dow L. ADELS'PERGER, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and and useful Improvements in PneumaticSeparators,of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying draw- Ings. v

This invention relates to pneumatic separators, and has for its objectto provide a simple, compact, and efficient separating device which willeffectively separatepieces of iron and other heavy bodies from crushedoil-cake 'or other similar material, it being particularly designed witha View to its use in preparing material for grinding, so'as to insurethe removal therefrom of metallic and other substances of such a natureas would tend to injure the grinding-mill.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features, which Iwill now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in theclaims.

In'the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of astructure embodying my invention in one form, the same being in sectionon the line as m of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same, partly broken away in differentplanes to show the internal construction. Fig. 3 is a perspective viewtaken from the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 and with partsof the structure removed, so as to show the inner or fan casing. Fig. 4is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1, illustratingamodification; and Fig. 5 is aplan view of one end portion of the structure shown in Fig. 4:. V

In the said drawings, 1 indicates the main or outer casing of theseparator, which is preferably cylindrical in its general form and whichis composed of a body portion 2 and end portions 3. Along one side ofthe body portion, which may be termed the front of the separator,extends an opening 1, which constitutes the receiving mouth or inlet ofthe separator, by means of which the material to be separated is fedinto the same. A feeding- 8 is provided in the bottom of the casing 1,

through which the material after being freed from heavy objectionablesubstances maybe discharged. There is formed in thebottom of the casing1, adjacent to the opening 8 and separated therefrom by a partition 9, asecond opening 10, through which the heavy objects are discharged fromthe casing 1 into a receptacle or trash-box 11, removably fitting in thebase 7.

Mounted in suitable bearings 12 in the ends of the casing 1 is afan-shaft 13, driven by means of a pulley 14 on one of its projectingends or in any other suitable -manner. This shaft carries one or morefans or blowers 15, two being shown in the present instance composed ofradial arms 16, secured to the shaft 13, and blades or vanes 17, securedto the outer ends of the arms. the fan-casing, which is indicated at 18,extends, with the exception hereinafter specified, from one of the endsor heads 3 of the main casing 1 to the other end or head and is circularin cross-section for the greater portion of its circumference, its lowerportion 19 being formed on a curve of increasing radius. This portionterminates at 20 above the trashoutlet 10, the space above said terminalportion 20 between it and the other end of the fancasing body formingthe blast-outlet mouth 21 of the fan, which is thus located above thetrash-outlet 10 in such a position as to direct the blast of the fanagainst the inclined portion 22 of the main casing, which inclinedportion extends from the receiving-mouth or The main body ofmaterial-inlet 4; downward to the trash-outlet material.

ture. The inner heads 23 are similarly spaced apart,so as to form acentral air-space 27. From a point above or adjacent to thereceivingmouth 4 of the main casing there extends between the two endpieces 3 of said main casing a diaphragm or separating-plate 28, theforward end of which is united to or forms an extension of thefan-casing 18, the point of union being indicated at 29. From this pointsaid diaphragm or separating-plate diverges outward from the body 18 ofthe fancasing, forming a space or conduit 30 between said diaphragm andthe fan-casing and a second spaceor conduit 31 between said diaphragmand the outer casing. This latter space or conduit is preferably ofgraduallyincreasing height or area in cross-section from front to rear.The separating-diaphragm terminates ata point 32 at the back of theseparator, preferably somewhat above the central horizontal plane of thesame, and therefore above the outlet 8 of the purified The body 18 ofthe fan-casing is provided with openings, whereby communication isestablished between the conduit 30 and the air-spaces 26 and 27, whichcommunicate with the eyes 24 of the fans, and this is preferablyeffected by providing the body 18 at each end and in the center withslots or openings 33, each extending from the point from the normalcircular curvature of said body. The rear or free end of theseparating-plate or diaphragm 28 is preferably forami- 3 nous orperforated for some little distance the following manner: The materialto be separated is fed in through the receivingmouth 4:, where it meetsthe blast of air issuing from the discharge-mouth 21 of the fan andpasses upward between the inner and outer casings. I prefer to locatethe inner casing eccentrically within the outer casing, as shown, sothat the space between said casings gradually contracts from thedischargemouth of the fan to the receiving-mouth of the casing andgradually increases beyond that point. As the material to be separatedenters through the mouth 4 the heavier and undesirable objects*such aspieces of iron, stone, and the like-will pass downward along the surface22 to the trash-outlet 10 and thence into the trash-box l1,their weightbeing sufficient to overcome the resistance of the blast. The lighterpurified material will pass up past the mouth 4 into the conduit 31between the separating-plate 28 and the top of the main casing and willbe carried along by the blast to the terminal edge 32 of saidseparating-plate. At this point the current of air will be diverted backinto the space or conduit 30 by reason of the suction of the fans andinner and outer casings at the end of the diaphragm 28, the velocity ofmovement of the air-current is comparatively slight at this point, andthe material carried thus far by the air continues downward and forward,owing to its own inertia and the action of gravity, and thus does notreturn with the air-current to the fan, but passes down to the outlet 8,where it is discharged. This decrease in velocity and diversion of theair-current without diverting the material carried thereby is aided andrendered more effective by the openings in the free end of theseparating-plate 28, which permit successive portions of the blast topass from one side of the separating-plate to the other without carryingthe material along with it, for it will be observed that theseparating-plate constitutes the divid ing-wall of two passages in whichthe air-currents move in diametrically opposite directions, thereversing of their direction of movement occurring around the free endof the plate and said reversal being sharp and complete when the end ofthe plate is not foraminous. Under certain circumstances it is desirablethat this sudden reversal in the direction of flow 29, where thediaphragm 28 diverges from the body 18, t0 the point 34, where theportion 19 of the body 18 of the fan-casing diverges of the air-currentsaround the free edge of the separating-plate shall not be so abrupt, andwhen this is the case the portion of said plate adjacent to said freeedge is perforated in such a way as to gradually divert successiveportions of the air from one side of the plate to the other, thusreducing the violence of the revulsion when the air turns back in theopposite direction at the free edge of the plate.

It will be observed that the blast is created by the use of the samebody or volume of air over and over again, said body of air circulatingentirely within the casing without issuing therefrom at any point. Thisdispenses with the necessity of employing a dust-collector or equivalentdevice, which is required where the air after being utilized as aseparating medium is discharged from the casing instead of being usedover and over again. The structure is, moreover, extremely compact,occupying only a small space and requiring comparatively little materialin its construction. It is, moreover, eflicient in operation and servesto positively remove large or heavy bodies from the material operatedupon.

' Occasionally the material operated on carries with it strings orfilaments which may become elements of danger or trouble in subsequentoperations and which are of such a character that they will not beseparated by the air-blast from the material carried around therebytoward the outlet 8. T 0 effect a separation of these strings orfilaments from the otherwise purified material, I propose to emcleanthem by the removal therefrom of ploy a screen or grating 35, composedof inclined parallel wires or similar filaments 36, extending from theedge 82 of the separatingplate 28 downward and rearward to the body 2 ofthe main casing. Thus all the material which passes from the conduit 31to the outlet 8 will pass through this screen or grating, and anythreads or filaments therein will be arrested by and gather on the wires86, down which they will slide to a receptacle 36 in the hinged plate39, which may be a portion of the body 2 of the outer casing having ahingejoint 40 at its lower end, so that its upper end may be moved in orout or toward or from the fan-casing. In this waythe air-passage may becontracted or extended immediately below the receiving-mouth and theair-pressure correspondingly increased or diminished. In this way theforce of the air may be controlled at the point where it first arreststhe downward movement of the material. As a simple mode of securing thispressure-regulating plate I provide at its upper end ahorizontal flange41, carrying clamping-bolts 42,

which extend through slots 43 in the bottom of the wall 6 of the hopper.I may also provide for adjusting the air-pressure above thereceiving-mouth by means of a hinged plate 44, which may be a portion ofthe body 2 of the casing provided with a hinge-joint 4.5 at its upperend, so that its free lower end may be adjusted in or outer toward orfrom the fan-casing in a manner similar to that just described, so as tocorrespondingly Vary the cross-sectional area of the air-passage, andconsequently the air-pressure, thus serving to relax the air-pressuremore or less at this point. Adjustment of this regulating-plate may beeffected by clamping-bolts 46, passing through slots 47 in the ends ofthe hopper 5 and providedwith clamping-nuts 48. way the air-pressure atthe point of introduction of the material to be operated upon may beregulated as desired.

It sometimes occurs that the material operated on contains particlesofiron and other magnetic material so small as to be of insufficientweight to carry them downward to the trash-outlet against the blast ofthe fan, but of a character such as to be a source of danger inoperations subsequent to the separation. To separate these lightmetallic particles, I employ a magnetic separator of any suitableconstruction-as, for instance, a me- .to be itself magnetized. of ironwill adhere to this magnetized plate,

The casing 1 is provided with an open- In this.

tallic plate 49, located in the inclined wall 6 of the hopper 5immediately in front of the receiving-mouth t and connected witha magnet50, or 'a plurality of such magnets, so as The light particles and thusbe prevented from entering the bodyof the separator, and they may beremoved from the plate from time to time in the usual manner.

' It is sometimes difficult to regulate the blast by the speed at whichthe fan-shaft is driven,

and in order to effect this regulation without varying. the motive powerand without obstructing the passage between the receivingmouth and trash-outlet I provide the discharge-mouth 21 of the fan-casing with a valve51, which. may be moved across said mouth so as to obstruct the samemore or less, and thus regulate the blast independently ofthe speed atwhich the fan-shaft is driven. This location of said valve is such thatit in no way obstructs the passage of large articles from" thereceiving-mouth to the trash-box. Preferably the valve is pivoted at itsupper edge, as shown at 52, so that it may be either swung back againstthe outer face of the casing 18.,

as shown in full lines, or down across the mouth to a greater or lessextent, as indicated in dotted lines. The pivotal axis 52 of said valvemay be extended through the casing and provided externally thereof withan operating-handle 53, by means of which said valve may be readily setin any desired position. I do not wish to be understood as limiting andseparate outlets in its lower part for the separated materials, theoutlet for the. heavy material being below the receivingmouth,-of asimilar innerfan-casing wholly inclosed within the outer casing,thedischargemouth of said fan-casing being located above theheavy-material outlet and directed upward toward the receiving mouth, ablast fan mounted within the fan-casing, and a separating-plate locatedin the space between the two casings, connected with the fan-casingabove the receiving-mouth, diverging from said casing to form outgoingand return passages and extending over the top of the fancasing,terminating at a point in the rear thereof and above the other outlet ofthe main casing, the outgoing-passage between the separatingplate andmain casing being connected with the fan outlet, and the return-passageon the other side of the separating-plate being connected with thefan-inlet, substantially as described.

2. In a separator, the combination, with an outer casing in the form ofasubstantiallycylindric drum having a lateral receiving-mouth andseparate outlets for the separated materials, of a similar innerfan-casing wholly inclosed within the outer casing, a blast-fan mountedin the fan-casing, the discharge of said 'fan being directedupwardlytoward the receiving-mouth, and a separating-plate located inthe spacebetween the two casings, connected to the fan-casing at one endand diverging therefrom to form outgoing and return passages on'itsopposite sides, the former connected with the outlet of-the fan and thelatter with the inlet of the fan, said passages communicating with eachother at the other end of the plate, which is free, the portion of'saidplate adjacent to said free end be ing foraminous, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a separator of the character described, the combination, withablast-t'an, of a separating-plate and an inclosing easing, the spacesor passages on opposite sides of the plate being respectively connectedwith the outlet and inlet of the blast-fan, said passages communicatingdirectly with each other at one edge of the plate, which is free, andthe plate being foraminous adjacent to its free edge, substarr tially asdescribed.

4:. In a-separator, an outercasingin the form of a substantiallycylindric drum having a lateral receiving-mouth and separate outlets inits lower portion for the separated materials, a similar inner'casing-wholly inclosed in andextending from end to end of'the outercasing and having a discharge-mouth located above the heavy-materialoutlet and directed toward the receiving-mouth, a fan-shaft extendingthrough'said inn-er easing and having blastfans mounted thereon, aseparating-plate located in the space between the two casings, extendingfrom end to end of the main casing, connected atits front end with theinner casing, and diverging therefrom, extending over its top andterminating rearward thereof,

said plate and casings forming outgoing and' return passagescommunicating at the rear endof the plate, heads located within theinner casing to form fan-chambers and airchambers, and slots or openingsin the fanchamber connecting said air-spaces with the space between theseparating-plate and fancasing, substantially as described.

5. In a separator of the character described, the combination, withinner and outer casings, ablast-fan within the inner casing, and aseparating-plate having outgoing and return airpassages on its oppositesides communicating with each other around one edge of the plate, whichis free, of a screen or grating composed of parallel wires extendinguninterruptedly downward from the free edge of the separating-plate tothe outer casing, substantially as described.

6. In a separator of the character described, the combination, withinnerand outer casings, a'blast-fan within the inner casing, and aseparating-plate having outgoing and return airpassages on its oppositesides communicating around one edge of the plate, which is free, of ascreen or grating composed of parallel wires extending uninterruptedlydownward from the free edge of the separating-plate to the outer casing,and a receptacle located at the lower end of the screen or grating,substantially as described.

7. A separator comprising an outer casing, and an inner casingcontaining a blast-fan, the space between said casings at one sideforming ablast passage through which the fan discharges upwardly, theouter casing having a lateral receiving-mouth opening directly intosaidblast-passage, the portions of the outer casing forming the outerwall of said blast-passage immediately above and below saidreceiving-mouth being hinged, so that the edges thereof which define theupper and lower margins of the receiving-mouth are adjustable toward andfrom the inner wall of In testimony whereof I aifix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

DOV L. ADELSPERGER.

\Vitnesses:

E. O. HAGAN, IRVINE MILLER.

